Police arrest 24 "Occupy" protesters outside Dallas bank

DALLAS, Texas (Reuters) - Police arrested a group of 24 Occupy Dallas protesters on Monday after they sat down and locked arms in front of a downtown Dallas bank and ignored requests to move, protest organizers said.

The arrests outside Chase Bank were the first of protesters in the city since Occupy Dallas demonstrations against economic inequality began on October 6. A statement from Occupy Dallas put the number of arrests at 24.

Protesters were still being released on Monday evening from the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, Dallas County's jail, where they were taken following the afternoon arrests.

Police confirmed that arrests had been made and said one officer suffered a minor injury in the incident. But a Dallas police spokesman was unavailable to provide more details.

A video on the Occupy Dallas Facebook page showed officers scuffling with demonstrators during the arrests.

The protesters had lined up three rows deep in front of the bank entrance, sat down and locked arms. When they ignored requests from police to move, the arrests began, the statement said.